Separation of Church & state to remain intact – Russian Patriarch

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has rejected allegations of a possible official union between his institution and the state, adding that only an independent Church can preach successfully.

“The Church is protecting its own freedom because it is sure
that only its independence gives her an opportunity to be a
fully-fledged spiritual authority. Any form of merger between the
state and the Church is dangerous for God’s cause. A sermon
sounds loud and convincing only when it is delivered by a free
church,” Patriarch Kirill said in an interview with the
Smolenskiye Novosti newspaper.

The patriarch reminded that the internal regulations of the
Russian Orthodox Church strictly forbid the clergy from assuming
any powers among secular authorities. The state, in turn, has no
direct leverage to influence the church’s policies, he added.

Russia’s top cleric noted that the repressions against the Church
that took place in Soviet Russia in the first half of the 20th
century were largely a result of “the enslavement of the
church by the state,” possibly hinting at the exclusive part
the Russian Orthodox Church played during in the Russian Empire.

On the other hand, he said that the country was still
experiencing the consequences of adopting atheism as its official
ideology in Soviet times.

“To cure the spiritual wound inflicted by the godlessness we
all must help the people to walk the path of the spiritual
revival. I believe that the Lord is with us on this way,”
Patriarch Kirill told the newspaper.

In addition, the Patriarch explained that the Church was not
pursuing an objective of influencing state policies, but only
attempts to address the community and every person individually.
The goal of the clerics is “to deliver a spiritual axiom that
life without God is meaningless and useless.”

The public discussions about the strengthening ties between the
Church and the state in Russia have become especially vocal after
the introduction of the law on the protection of believers’
feelings. The law, signed into force in July this year, makes
deliberate and public insults aimed at religious sentiments, as
well as the desecration of holy sites, a criminal offence
punishable by up to three years in prison.

The arguments soon drew attention to numerous scandals involving
Russian clergy whom the mass media accused of living a life full
of excesses and using the officials’ protection in various
problems.